Point guard Marcus Smart displays skills for Celtics

The Oklahoma State sophomore is expected to be a top-10 pick in the NBA Draft on June 26.

Jim Fenton The Enterprise @JFenton_ent

WALTHAM – The film clip was shown over and over again during the early part of February.

There was Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart tumbling into the stands after trying to block a shot in the closing seconds of a road loss to Texas Tech.

Words were exchanged with a Red Raiders fan and then Smart pushed the man with two hands.

The video has been viewed nearly 1.2 million times on YouTube and the incident is part of Smart’s basketball portfolio.

He was suspended for three games by the Big 12 Conference, then returned to finish a solid sophomore season with the Cowboys.

Now, Smart is making the rounds as he works out for NBA teams with the draft approaching a week from Thursday night.

Smart, who went through a workout session for the Celtics on Friday, said prospective teams haven’t done much inquiring about the shove.

“Surprisingly, not many teams asked me about it,’’ said Smart. “They kind of understand the competitiveness in you.

“Just talking with me and talking with them, they understand that I know I learned my lesson from it. They wanted to know who I really was. Everybody says, hey he’s this and that, just off of that. But they want to really know who I am, getting into my background.’’

Smart is likely going to be on the draft board when the Celtics pick at No. 6 on June 26 and it would be very interesting if they pick another point guard with Rajon Rondo on the roster.

There have been questions about whether Rondo will explore free agency in July 2015, so if the Celtics are looking for some insurance, Smart would be the player to take.

“Rondo’s one of the greatest point guards to ever play this game,’’ said Smart. “If I’m fortunate enough that Boston picks me and I have to sit on the bench, that’s an honor to learn from one of the greatest point guards.

“He’s been playing it for a while, he knows what he’s doing. Everybody knows Rondo. He’s a fighter. On defense, he’s a guy you don’t want to play against if you’re an offensive player. He harasses the ball. He’s a pest. That’s kind of what I am, especially with my size and my length.’’

Smart would have been a lottery pick had he departed Oklahoma State a year ago after averaging 15.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and three steals to earn Big 12 player of the year honors.

He elected to return to school and improved his overall game this past season, averaging 12.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.9 steals. Smart should get picked in the top 10 later this month.

“I’m going to get drafted sooner or later, if it was then or it was now,’’ said Smart of why he went back to Oklahoma State. “Everybody thinks it’s about the first contract. It’s not about the first contract. It’s about your second and third.

“Not only that, I love playing basketball, so it really doesn’t matter. I think I showed that by coming back. I’m not really worried about the money. The money’s going to be there. I love playing basketball and that’s what I plan on doing the rest of my life.’’

Smart can be an irritant to play against, and his competitiveness and leadership were on display during the workout for the Celtics.

” My biggest attribute is I’m a competitor,’’ said Smart. “I show my best skills when the game is on the line and somebody is guarding me.

“Whoever you put in front of me, I’m never going to back down. I’ve never backed down from a challenge. That’s not me. That’s not what my makeup is.’’

Jim Fenton may be reached at jfenton@enterprisenews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFenton_ent.